1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to painting equipment, and more particularly pertains to a new and improved apparatus and for cleaning paint brushes, paint rollers and paint spray equipment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of specially designed equipment for cleaning paint brushes, paint rollers and paint spraying equipment is well known in the prior art. A typical paint brush cleaning apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,449,818, which issued to A. Olsen on Sept. 21, 1948. In the Olsen device, a paint brush is rotatably retained within a bucket of paint thinner, and through the rotatable movement of a manually actuable handle, the brush is rotated within the thinner until substantially clean. The brush may then be removed for drying purposes. As will be noted in reference to this patent, the Olsen device is designed to hold and clean only one paint brush at a time, and a substantial amount of time and manual effort is required to clean the brush. Further, no means are provided for recycling and thus reusing the paint solvent contained within the device.
As to various prior art methods and apparatuses for cleaning paint rollers, a good typical example is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,542,491, which issued to A. Engel on Feb. 20, 1951. The Engel device provides a holder by which a used paint roller may be attached to an electric drill. The paint roller may then be inserted into a bucket of paint thinner and is cleaned by being rotated within the thinner through an actuation of the drill. After cleansing, the roller is removed from the solvent and allowed to dry. Again, however, no means are provided for cleansing and reusing the paint thinner, and additionally, only a single paint roller can be cleaned at any given time.
There has been at least one attempt to manufacture an apparatus for cleaning and drying paint equipment wherein a plurality of items can be cleansed simultaneously with one container. In this regard, reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,111, which issued to S. Feigelman on Dec. 20, 1960. The device shown in this patent includes a housing having a quantity of paint solvent retained therein, and a holding rack allows for the positioning of a plurality of paint brushes and rollers within the solvent. A handle on the housing allows the same to be manually agitated to effect a cleansing of the equipment. Additionally, the equipment may then be hung to dry within the housing above the surface level of the solvent. No means are illustrated for cleansing the solvent for purposes of reuse, and the agitation of the housing must be manually performed.
Accordingly, it would appear that there exists a continuing need for new and improved apparatuses and processes for cleansing paint equipment wherein a large quantity of equipment could be simultaneously cleaned with little or no effort being provided by the user of the equipment. In this respect, the present invention substantially addresses this need.